The Pulitzer committee awarded both publications the honor. Of The Washington Post, the committee said it had revealed "widespread secret surveillance by the National Security Agency, marked by authoritative and insightful reports that helped the public understand how the disclosures fit into the larger framework of national security."

Of The Guardian, the committee said it had helped "through aggressive reporting to spark a debate about the relationship between the government and the public over issues of security and privacy."

Barton Gellman led the Post's reporting on the Snowden disclosures, along with filmmaker Laura Poitras. Glenn Greenwald, the brash privacy advocate and journalist who now serves as an editor at The Intercept.